Can opener and radiant energy sterilizer



United States Patent CAN OPENER AND RADIANT ENERGY STERILIZER Claire S. Ryan and Robert S. Lane, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application December 28, 1956, Serial No. 631,182

2 Claims. (Cl. 21-102) The invention herein has relation to a combination can opener and radiant energy sterilizer construction devised to be especially useful at locations where cans of hot food are dispensed from containers therefor, as at factories, restaurants, etc.

It is common practice for purchasers to put coins in slot machines and have dispensed therefrom cans of hot soup, beans, or other foods. A can opener set up adjacent each dispensing machine ordinarily is of a regular standard crank handle type. A purchaser places a dispensed can in the can opener and rotates a crank handle thereof to cause the upper end of the can to be removed. The can opener is constructed to hold the can in suspended condition when placed therein, as well as while the upper end is being removed and thereafter. Upon completion of severanceof the can upper end, the purchaser grasps the can with one hand and manipulates the crank handle with the other to accomplish release of the can from the can opener. The can openers employed are constantly subjected to bacteria and dirt and dust of the surrounding atmosphere.

According to the present invention, a can opener, of the crank handle type, is mounted within a cabinet to be protected from the surrounding atmosphere, a crank handle of the can opener extends through a wall of the cabinet and is situated at an accessible position extriorly thereof, a germicidal lamp, or lamp emitting ultra-violet light rays, is situated within the cabinet at a location to subject the can opener to bacteria killing light rays, an openable door of the cabinet is for permitting assembly of cans with and their removal from the can opener, and an electric circuit for the germicidal lamp causes it to be energized when said circuit is closed and de-energized when said circuit is open. Desirably, the germicidal, or ultra-violet light emitting, lamp will be energized when the cabinet door is closed and de-energized when it is open.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification,

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a combination can opener and radiant energy sterilizer construction incorporating the features tion; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view, taken on line 2-2 in Fig. l, i

A cabinet of the can opener and radiant energy sterilizer is as disclosed of rectilinear configuration and constituted as opposite side walls, denoted and 11, respectively, a rear wall 12, and upper and lower walls, represented 13 and 14, respectively. A door 15 at the front of the cabinet is longitudinally slidable in spaced, oppositely disposed guideways, each indicated 16. The door is manually slidable between an open position, as in the drawing, to make the interior of the cabinet accessible, and a closed position. When the door is closed, the opposite side, rear, upper and lower walls of the cabinet, together with said door, bound or define a completely enclosed space at the interior of the cabinet.

and characteristics of the inven- A can opener 17, of the crank handle type, -is suitably and conveniently mounted, as at 18, upon the rear wall 12 of the cabinet and extends forwardly therefrom in perpendicular relation to said rear wall. The can opener is in spaced relation to each of the side walls of said cabinet, closer to the side wall 10 than to the side Wall 11, and the front end of said can opener terminates rearwardly of the slidable door 15. Working elements of the can opener are denoted 19 and 20, respectively. A crank handle for operating said can opener is constituted as a shank 21 extending away from the side surface of the can opener opposite the working elements thereof and an arm 22 in perpendicular relation to said shank. The shank 21 is in perpendicular relation to the can opener and the side wall 10 and extends through said side wall, as well as through abracket 23 secured, as at 24, upon an exterior surface of the cabinet. The bracket closes the opening through which the shank passes, and said shank is rotatably mounted in said bracket. The arm 22 is situated in spaced, parallel relation to the side wall 10 exteriorly thereof, and the inner end of said arm is made rigid with the shank 21 in any suitable and convenient manner, as indicated at 25. i

As disclosed, the cabinet is mounted in upright position against a supporting member 26 therefor, such as a house wall, by fasteners 27 which pass through the rear wall 12 of said cabinet and enter said supporting member. The cabinet houses a germicidal, or ultra-violet light emitting, lamp 28, and a micro-switch 29. The germicidal lamp is suitably and conveniently supported, as at 30, upon the upper wall 13 ofthe cabinet, and the microswitch also is suitably and conveniently supported, as at 31, upon said upper wall. A transformer and ballast 32 is situated within the cabinet and supported upon the upper wall thereof.

An outlet plug 33, situated exteriorly of the cabinet, is for detachable connection with a source (not shown) of electrical power. Lead Wires 34 extend from the outlet plug, through the cabinet upper wall 13, to the transformer 32, lead wires 35 connect said transformer to the germicidal lamp and the micro-switch and a lead wire 36 connects said germicidal lamp and the microswitch to each other. A push button 37 of said microswitch, extending downwardly therefrom, is normally resiliently urged outwardly or downwardly to retain the circuit including the germicidal lamp and said microswitch closed.

A hand piece 38 upon a lower portion of the exterior surface of the door 15 is for ready manipulation of said door, and an actuator element 39, extending int'eriorly from' a lower portion of the door and in vertical alinement with the push button 37, is for depressing said push button thus to cause the circuit including the germicidal lamp and the micro-switch to be broken. The door 15 will be frictionally slidable in the guideways 16, and the construction and arrangement will be such that the germicidal lamp will be de-energized when the door is frictionally retained in open position, as in the drawing, to maintain the push button in the open position of the micro-switch 29. Said push button will be situated in the closed condition of said germicidal lamp and microswitch and the germicidal lamp will be energized at all times when the door is in closing relation to the cabinet.

The opposite side, rear, upper and lower walls and the door of the cabinet will be of material suitable to their purpose. By way of example, the cabinet walls can be of aluminum, and the door can be of suitable glass or so-called plastic material. Desirably, there will be no appreciable passage of ultra-violet light out of the cabinet. In an instance when considered preferable,

aaazses In practical operation of the device, the door will be manually slid to open position where the actuator element 39 depresses the push button 37 to and retains itin the open condition of the germicidal, lamp and micro-switch circuit, and a can to be operated upon will be inserted" in the cabinet and engaged with the can opener, as disclosed in dotted lines in the drawing. The can opener desirably will be of construction to retain the can in suspended condition. The door will then be manually closed, so that the germicidal lamp will apply bacteria killing ultra-violet light rays to the can, and the crank handle will be rotated to sever the top from the can while the door is closed and the can is supported by or in the can opener. Upon completion of severance of the can top wall, the door will be manually opened to position where the actuator element 39 depresses the push button 37 to and retains it in the open condition of the germicidal lamp and micro-switch circuit thus to cause said germicidal lamp to be de-energized, the can will be released from the can opener and removed from the cabinet, and the door will be manually closed. The push button will return to the closed'condition of the germicidal lamp and micro-switch circuit when released by the actuator element upon closing of the door, and said germicidal lamp will remain energized until the door is again open to position where depressing the push button.

The can opener will be subjected to bacteria killing rays of ultra-violet light, as well as protected from dirt and dust of the atmosphere surrounding the cabinet, at all times except when the door is opened to insert and remove cans, and each can will be subjected to the bacteria killing rays of light while being operated upon.

The can opener can be of any construction suitable to its purpose, and cans can be supported in the cabinet while being operated upon by the can opener in any suitable and convenient manner. For example, a can the top wall of which is to be removed could be rested upon the lower wall 14 of the cabinet and the can opener actuated to cause the can to be rotated while the top thereof was being severed.

The door of the cabinet need not be slidable. It could be otherwise openable to break the circuit for the germicidal lamp and closable to make said circuit.

What is claimed is:

1. A combination can opener and radiant energy sterilizer comprising a cabinet constituted as spaced upper, lower and upstanding side walls providing an interior space, a can opener within said interior space, means supporting said can opener upon one of said walls, a door for said cabinet to be situated in a: closed position where said door and said cabinet walls enclose the can opener and an open position to render said can opener accessible, a shank for actuating said can opener assembled therewith and extending through one ofsaid upstanding side walls, an operating arm rigid with said shank and disposed exteriorly ofthecabinet, a germicidal lamp within said cabinet, and an electric circuit for said germicidal lamp.

2. A combination can opener and radiant energy sterilizer comprising a cabinet bounded by upper, lowerand upstanding side walls providing an interior space and open at a side thereof, a can opener within'said interior space, means supporting said can opener upon one of said walls, a door for said cabinet to-be situated in closed relation to the open side thereof, said cabinet walls and said door when closed together completely enclosing said interior space and the door being removable from said open side of the cabinet to render said can opener accessi-- ble, a shank for actuating said can opener assembled therewith and extending through one of said upstanding side walls, an operating arm rigid with said shank and disposed exteriorly of the cabinet, a germicidal lamp within said cabinet for emittingbacteria killing rays against the can opener, a normally closed electric circuit for said germicidal lamp, and means actuable in response to removal of said door from the open side of said cabinet for causing said electric circuit to be broken;

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

